How to safely load your car, caravan or trailer for a road trip

By: Brendan Batty

On longer getaways, the amount of gear and supplies needed to make your trip even more comfortable and enjoyable can really add up. Getting those essential (and non-essential) items correctly loaded is an important part of having a safe and happy trip.

Before you go, you’ll need to consider the impact of adding weight, bulk and even odd-shaped attachments to your vehicle.

Whether you’re loading a couple of bags and surfboards for a week in Esperance or a four-wheel drive, trailer and roof racks for a long road trip up north, you’ll need to make sure everything is packed safely, efficiently and legally.

There are pages and pages of recommendations, rules and guidelines about loading things into or onto a vehicle, but before you go, ask yourself these simple questions: Could it cause a crash? Will it move, come loose, or potentially cause an injury? Will it make the drive less comfortable? You should be able to answer ‘no’ to each one.

Could it cause a crash?

Every light vehicle must abide by certain limits when it comes to loads. Light vehicles (be that a car, four-wheel drive, caravan or trailer) and their load cannot exceed the weight limits set out by the manufacturer or relevant authority (see our Loads Glossary below).

Vehicles loaded up for the holidays can easily overstep one or more of these limits.

For example, with a large caravan hitched up and a load of gear in the back of a four-wheel drive, it’s not hard to overload the rear axle or exceed the Gross Combination Mass (GCM), even if neither car nor caravan is individually overloaded.

Even with your box-trailer loaded up with camping gear, it doesn’t take much for it to weigh more than 750kg – the upper limit of a trailer not fitted with brakes. Regardless, the loaded mass must not exceed the towing capacity of any part in vehicle/trailer combination, and this includes the towbar and towball.

In one Victorian police blitz focused on vehicles towing caravans, nearly 60 per cent were found to be overweight in some manner.

If you suspect your vehicle is on the heavy side, consider getting it weighed. There are public weighbridges all over the state or you can buy personal vehicle scales for a few hundred dollars. They’re reasonably accurate, so they’ll give you a ball-park indication.

It’s also illegal to drive a vehicle carrying a load that makes it unsafe or unstable, or that has a load which extends from it that could injure a person, obstruct the path of other road users, damage property or that could fall from or just be dislodged from the vehicle without falling from it.

In Perth alone, Main Roads responds to approximately 50 callouts a week to remove things from the road that have fallen from vehicles, so it’s pretty common.

It’s important to carry your heaviest items low in the vehicle and, where possible, between the axles in a vehicle, or directly above the axles in a trailer. Don’t carry very heavy items on the roof or high up.

If you’re towing a caravan or long trailer, avoid placing heavy loads at the very rear, even if it helps balance the load, as this will cause trailer sway and instability. Those towing a heavy trailer or caravan should consider using a weight-distribution hitch to improve braking and steering performance.

You can’t drive a vehicle that’s carrying a load unless the load is restrained on the vehicle by an appropriate system.

If you’re securing things to roof racks, in a trailer, in your tinny or on the outside of a caravan, it must be securely attached by a device rated for the load.

For instance, a ratchet strap with a suitable load rating is acceptable. That old rope from Grandpa’s trailer, an occy strap or your boat’s canvas cover is probably not.

Specifically referring to boats, Main Roads told us, “If you carry items in a boat, make sure they are secured. Just because the item is in the boat doesn’t necessarily mean it is secured. There are many cases when items have been blown out of a boat by wind pressure and hit cars travelling behind or in the opposite direction.”

Finally, a vehicle and its load can’t measure more than 2.5m wide, 4.3m high, and in WA, can’t have a load that extends more than 1.2m in front or 1.2m to the rear of the vehicle, or 150mm beyond the extreme outer portion on either side (like a roof-rack mounted awning or the longboard you’ve got hanging out the corner of your ute’s tray).

Overstep these, and your vehicle is exceeding the maximum legal dimensions and projections allowable on WA roads.

Again, for boats, Main Roads says, “If your boat is wider than 2.5m, then you also require a Main Roads Permit to move the boat on a public road.” And if your load obstructs a rear number plate, organise an auxiliary number plate through the Department of Transport.

Will it move?

It’s not just people and pets we need to secure in a car. The Road Traffic (Vehicle) Regulations 2014 says, “A load on a vehicle must not be placed in a way that makes the vehicle unstable or unsafe.”

Similarly, the National Transport Commission’s Load Restraint Guide says, “You must restrain any load you are carrying on a light vehicle so that [it stays] on the vehicle during normal driving conditions – this includes heavy braking, cornering, acceleration and even minor collisions”.

While both refer to a load ‘on a vehicle’, the Department of Transport confirmed that we need to take the same precautions ‘in’ a vehicle, as items ‘on’ a seat or ‘on’ the floor are still considered on the vehicle. 

In a sedan, the problem is solved simply by putting items in the boot. In a ute or van, put them in the tray or cargo area (don’t just rely on the tray or the barrier/window behind the cabin to keep your items from moving around, make sure they are secured). If the back seat’s the only place, put heavy things on the floor, rather than on the seats.

In an SUV or wagon, if possible, get a cargo barrier fitted. Alternatively, use the tie-down points that are an under-used feature of nearly every wagon to secure the load (hot tip – hook the straps to the forward points before loading the car, and dangle them over the back seats, so they don’t get lost as you pack everything in).

Don’t use occy straps - they’re not good enough. Store things low down, against the back seats and below the height of the head restraints, which not only keeps a barrier between you and them but means your vision out of each window isn’t obstructed.

In a motorhome or campervan, pack everything away before driving and check that all cupboards and drawers are closed correctly.

Whatever it is you have loaded onto or into your vehicle and trailer, check on it regularly during the trip, as things will shift, which could cause straps to loosen or make room for things to move.

Will it make the drive less comfortable?

Vehicle comfort has been shown to affect driver fatigue, and a poorly loaded vehicle will make things uncomfortable.

A harsh ride because the suspension is overloaded might be the most obvious example but even the constant hum of a loose tarp vibrating in the wind, the repeated complaints of children cramped in the back seats with luggage at their feet, or worry caused by a slightly swaying caravan are very tiring.

Consider packing less, or if that’s not possible, invest in the roof racks, trailer, or even the vehicle you need to safely and responsibly carry everything you need.

After all, you’re meant to be on holidays, relaxing and enjoying yourself.

Last updated: November 2020